BMW and Aprilia focused for WSB 2009

Joy Ryder
New kid’s on the block BMW are taking the positives from their first winter Pirelli test sessions at the Kayalami circuit in South Africa, and have predicted that they will be fighting for top five finishes by the end of the 2009 season, in the latest World Superbike news.

BMW will be aware that other manufacturers have entered the WSB series in recent times and have struggled to come to terms with the pace, competitiveness and consistency of World Superbike racing, particularly against the more established teams and existing manufacturers teams.

Carl Fogarty’s attempt at team management with the Foggy Petronas and also the ill fated Benelli teams bear testament to just how competitive this series can be and BMW will need to remain focused throughout the season and use all the luck they can find to reach their goals for the coming season.

BMW riders Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus are both strong and aggressive racers and would appear to have the makings of a great partnership should the S1000RR be up to the task, the pair finished the three day South Africa test in eleventh and thirteenth places respectively.

BMW are not the only new manufacturer team to be joining the World Superbike 2009 series, the Italian bike maker Aprilia will be returning to the competition with an all new RSV4 superbike that has benefited from extensive testing throughout the last few months of this year.

Aprilia’s rider line up is equally impressive, Max Biaggi was signed up after missing out on retired champion Troy Bayliss’s Xerox Ducati seat to rival Noriyuka Haga. The Italian will no doubt be anxious to at least compete at the same level as the more experienced Ducati team, but may have to be patient during the early rounds.

Joining Biaggi at Aprilia is Shinya Nakano, another rider with Moto GP experience, something that should not be dismissed, as the Aprilia RSV4 is said to be a stiff, more rigid machine than the traditional WSB bikes, resembling more, the characteristics of a Moto GP machine.

In yesterday’s World Superbike news, BMW rider Ruben Xaus said that he could not wait to wait to race with the young British riders Tom Sykes, Leon Haslam and Jonathan Rea who join the series for 2009.

Not to mention Shane Byrne of course. What a great season 2009 is set to be!

Source:
http://www.worldsuperbikenews.co.uk
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Gian Franco Carloia appointed Permanent Race Director

The FIM-SBK Permanent Bureau, composed of Messrs. Vito Ippolito FIM President and Maurizio Flammini, President of FGSport, unanimously decided to nominate Gian Franco Carloia as Permanent Race Director for all FIM Superbike/Supersport World Championships and Superstock FIM Cup events - replacing Mr Alberto Fantini.

Gian Franco Carloia, 46 years old, who has been working for FGSport since 1993, holder of a FIM licence for Clerk of the Course since 2000, has been Assistant to the Race Director since 2001 and FGSport representative in the Race Direction as from 2004.

FIM Sports Director Ignacio Verneda said: "For such an important task it is essential to have an experienced, capable person, and I am convinced that Gian Franco is the right person, as he has already gained a lot of experience in all these years working as assistant to Alberto Fantini and I have no doubt he will do an excellent job. On behalf of the FIM, I would also like to thank Mr Fantini for his very professional job as Race Director".

Paolo Flammini, CEO of FGSport declared: "First of all, I'd like to thank Alberto Fantini for his invaluable contribution to the growth of the FIM Superbike World Championship since the very first event in which FGSport was involved. Now it's time for Gian Franco Carloia to take up this important heritage and responsibility. I'm sure that Gian Franco will do an outstanding job and I wish him the best possible success in his new position."

Source:
http://www.worldsbk.com
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Simoncelli: Will He or Won't He?

Italy's Marco Simoncelli has come under considerable media focus recently as the reigning 250 cc world champion expressed a desire to take part in the opening two rounds of the 2009 Superbike World Championship on a factory Aprilia RSV4, as a wild-card entry alongside the team's new pairing of Max Biaggi and Shinya Nakano.

Although the initial enthusiasm in competing came from the 21 year-old from Cattolica after he completed a test on the Aprilia Superbike at Valencia as a ‘prize' for winning the 250 title last year, the Noale-based manufacturer has also been quick to come round to the idea. To the point that if there is a possibility to do the opening two rounds, then Aprilia will willingly prepare two bikes, or at least one, for Simoncelli.

However, as an Aprilia source pointed out to WorldSBK.com, "It would be great for the company from an image point of view, but logistically it would also be very difficult to prepare six or even five bikes for Biaggi, Nakano and Simoncelli, as well as put together the extra technical crew for the two overseas races".

The final decision will rest with Giampiero Sacchi and Luigi Dall'Igna, but with Aprilia anxious to speed up the RSV4's development in its first WSBK campaign (nine days of testing - three at Portimao, three at Phillip Island, and three at Valencia - are planned before the opening round in Australia on March 1st), the possibility of seeing three brand-new Aprilia RSV4 machines on the grid at Phillip Island is not so remote after all.

Source:
http://www.worldsbk.com

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Bayliss predicts three way fight for WSB 2009

Three times World Superbike champion Troy Bayliss expects his replacement rider at Xerox Ducati, ‘Nitro’ Noriyuki Haga, to be among the contenders for the 2009 WSB crown but is equally sure that young riders Michel Fabrizio and Ben Spies will not make it easy for Haga.

Haga tested the Ducati in South Africa at the beginning of December 2008 and crashed the bike no less than three times on his first day of practise. However by day three the Japanese rider was getting to grips with the torquey machine and recorded the third best time of the day.

Haga has proved throughout his career that he is among the fastest and most exciting of motor cycle racers, however his over exuberance has often cost him dearly and he will need to show some consistency on board the Ducati if he is finally to break his duck and win the WSB championship.

Michel Fabrizio began the 2008 season as team mate to Troy Bayliss at Xerox Ducati and despite some early promise the youngster had to have surgery to his forearm shortly after the Assen race, cutting his season short. Bayliss has seen enough of the Italian to predict that his World Superbike results will put him in contention for the title at the end of the 2009 season.

Having won the AMA Superbike for three consecutive years, American born Ben Spies was rewarded for his endeavours with a starting place in the British Moto GP as stand in for injured rider Loris Capirossi. Spies finished the race in 14thplace and earned himself a test ride with Rizla Suzuki, where he was disappointingly slow.
In contrast to the Suzuki tests, Spies has proved that he is no slouch and has shown his credentials at Yamaha Motor Italia, when testing the potent new R1. In the South African tests at the Kyalami circuit earlier this month, the Worls Superbike news was that Spies had recorded the second fastest time of testing overall, despite riding a totally new bike and visiting the WSB testing circuits for the first time.

Source:
http://www.worldsuperbikenews.co.uk
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Trezeguet returns to first team training

Rome - Former France striker David Trezeguet started training with his team-mates again on Monday for the first time since having knee surgery in September, the club said on its website.

The 31-year-old has played only six minutes this season in Juve's opening home match against Udinese on September 14. Nine days later he was operated on.

According to Juve he will come into first team contention at the end of the month.

Trezeguet - who has fallen out of favour with France coach Raymond Domenech - has been an unqualified success at Juventus since joining the club in 2000, scoring 130 goals in 219 league matches.

He also scored the golden goal winner for France against Italy in the Euro 2000 final.

In only their second season back in the top flight following their demotion in 2006 for match-fixing, Juve currently sit second in Serie A, just four points behind champions Inter Milan.

Source:
http://sports.yahoo.com
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Sharapova pulls out of Australian Open

By Tanalee Smith, Associated Press Writer

SYDNEY, Australia (AP)— Maria Sharapova's shoulder injury will keep her out of another big event—the Australian Open.

Sharapova told the tournament Sunday she will not be able to defend her title at Melbourne Park beginning Jan. 19. She also missed the Beijing Olympics and the U.S. Open because of the injury, and her recovery has been slower than expected.

“My shoulder is doing great,” she said in a statement. “But I just started training a few weeks ago and I am just not near the level I need to be to compete at the highest levels.”

Her Australian Open victory last year started an 18-match winning streak, enabling the Russian to briefly reclaim her No. 1 ranking in May. But her ailing shoulder hampered her progress in the second half of the season.

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said he was disappointed for Sharapova, who beat Ana Ivanovic of Serbia in the 2008 final.

“She played some amazing tennis on Rod Laver Arena last year and has a massive legion of fans in Australia,” Tiley said. “I know she has been working around the clock to try and get back from the shoulder injury. In the end, time beat her this year.”

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